Our first performance of the day was in Loenen at the farm “Modderkolk.” Morning performances can be a little slow for Ricciotti sometimes, but this beautiful Sunday morning we got off to a hopping start, jumping up and down during the “Mexican Jumping Bean.” The cows and horses seemed to be singing along in the distance as we played. The orchestra went into a freeze during “Domenica en Spiagga,” but instead of finishing the piece, there was a short coffee break. Once we realized coffee was involved, the orchestra quickly broke the freeze, but our committed conductor Leonard maintained his flamingo-like position throughout the break. Of course the orchestra members decided we needed to help him a bit. “Leonard cheffies” held up his extended limbs, while others provided protection from the sun with umbrellas, sun hats and the zoenenbril. He even got his nails painted a lovely gold (see before and after pictures).

Our next stop was the town of Bathmen. We were given a warm welcome by the Highland Regiment of Drums and Pipes, who played as we entered the retirement home ‘t Dijkhuis. The diverse program, ranging from the slightly terrifying piece about half man- half beast “Caliban” to the moving folksong “Caledonia,” was a hit in Bathmen. Our friends from the Highland Regiment joined us for two traditional Scottish tunes, “Amazing Grace” and “Highland Cathedral.” The auditorium was so full it overflowed into the reception area, so the orchestra ended with “Eens Komt de Dag” in the reception.

Next we loaded our things into wagons pulled by tractors and made a small tour of the village in typical Ricciotti fashion, singing and playing the whole way. Despite some road blocks and broken down tractors, Ricciotti (and our growing entourage of cyclists and scooters) arrived at Brink Bathmen, where it seemed half the village had gathered. With an overabundance of bagpipe and batman jokes (Fledermaus - Bat - Batman - Bathmen!) and a narrow escape from some rain showers, we had a great performance in the sunshine.

Last stop, Lombok Theater Utrecht! We began by parading through the dining guests from Resto NOIZ with our loopstuk and some other uit-het-hoofdjes. After a hearty Scottish dinner of mashed potatoes and stew, we began our concert outside. “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone” was especially good this evening. Right as we got to the spooky slow part, a breeze swept through and ominous clouds formed overhead. We ended the first set just in the nick of time. As the thunderstorm raged outside, we continued our party in the gym. We had the whole group dancing with our Scottish Salsa, Agua de La Vida. A great end to a great day!